Crow Wing River State Water Trail

Undeveloped shoreline and numerous camping options give this river a wilderness feel. Its crystal waters cut a gentle path rarely interrupted by rapids. Although the river is seldom more than three feet deep, it is nearly always deep enough for canoeing.

Named for a wing-shaped island at its mouth, the river rises in a chain of 11 lakes and then flows southeast for 90 miles before joining the Mississippi River State Water Trail. The Crow Wing River cuts through low marshland in its first twenty miles. It then broadens and its banks rise as it flows southward through pine forest in northern Wadena County. Finally, it passes through river bottom forest before meeting the Mississippi.

Hazards include rapids and dams. Be sure you know the locations of dams and portage routes. Also, be aware that some river channels between the northern chain of lakes can become so thickly filled with vegetation that they are impassable at times.

Segment 1 - Eleventh Crow Wing Lake to Nimrod

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Recommended day trip

Huntersville (N) to Mary Brown

• Put-in location: river mile 82.6, Huntersville (N) carry-in access
• Take-out location: river mile 75.3, Mary Brown Rest Area carry-in access
• Length: 7.3 river miles

Paddle through Huntersville State Forest and past diverse habitat with low vegetation and mixed trees. Canoe and kayak rentals are available from local outfitters. With several watercraft campsites along the way, you could also lengthen your route for a multi-day trip.

Explore on shore

Huntersville State Forest

Huntersville State Forest offers several landings and watercraft campsites for paddlers. The Huntersville State Forest Landing is a great place to put in and take out, and has a primitive campground with sites available first-come, first served for a fee. This campground also gives you access to logging trails through the forest if you are looking to stretch your legs during a break from paddling.

Nearest medical facility

Chi St. Joseph's Health, 600 Pleasant Avenue, Park Rapids, MN 56470
218-732-3311

Paddling still waters on the Crow Wing River.

 

Late fall colors along the Crow Wing River.

Segment 2 - Nimrod to the Mississippi River

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Recommended day trip

Little White Dog to Cottingham County Park

• Put-in location: river mile 59.3, Little White Dog carry-in access
• Take-out location: river mile 49.5, Cottingham County Park carry-in access
• Length: 9.8 river miles

Paddle the river's twists and turns past thickly forested shoreline and tiny islands. Canoe and kayak rentals are available from local outfitters. The southern portion of this route is also popular for tubing during the summer.

Explore on shore

Wadena County Campgrounds

The Wadena County Parks System operates numerous primitive campgrounds along the Crow Wing River. Campsites are available for a fee and are a convenient option for multi-day river trips. Most campsites are first-come, first-served and offer a picnic table, fire ring and nearby water source and outhouse.

Nearest medical facility

Lakewood Health System, 49725 County Road 83, Staples, MN 56479
218-894-1515

Sky reflections on the Crow Wing River.

 

A still day on the Crow Wing River.

Landscape

The Crow Wing's crystal waters cut a gentle path rarely interrupted by rapids. Although the river is seldom more than three feet deep, it is nearly always deep enough for canoeing. There are no major rapids. Much of the river is flanked by thick forests. For its first 20 miles the river cuts through low marshy lands. The river broadens and the banks increase in height as it flows southward. Jack pine forest has all but replaced the virgin white and red pine forests on the sandy plains of northern Wadena County. Hazel, blueberries, sweet fern, bearberry, wintergreen, bracken and reindeer moss provide lush ground cover.

The river's lower reaches are flanked by a river bottom forest of elm, ash, cottonwood, box elder, oak, basswood, maple, willow and aspen. Grasslands, bogs and swamps are scattered throughout the river corridor.

Fish and wildlife

Eating fish from a Minnesota river or lake? Read the MN Department of Health's fish consumption advisory.

Because of its sandy bottom, sparse aquatic vegetation and lack of deep pools, the Crow Wing is not a good game fish river and supports only a limited number of waterfowl. Northern redhorse and white sucker, both rough fish, are the river's most common species. However, the river's diverse vegetation supports a wide variety of wildlife.

History

The Dakota held the Crow Wing region until the Ojibwe began moving westward in the early 1700s. By the early 1800s the Ojibwe controlled lands west of the Mississippi and north of the Crow Wing. There are Indian burial mounds at several sites along the river corridor, including a site at river mile 61.

Fur traders entered the region in the early 1700s. In 1792 the Northwest Company established the Wadena Trading Post on the west bluff of the river at its junction with the Partridge River. There was considerable overland trade in the area by the 1800s. The Old Otter Tail Trail crossed the river near the Wadena post and was the main transportation route between St. Paul and Fort Garry in Winnipeg.

Dense forests near the river made Nimrod an important lumbering center from the 1870s to the early 1900s. By the turn of the century most of the virgin timber had been cleared and the economy came to depend on agriculture.

Local contact 

DNR northwest regional office, 3296 State Park Road Northeast, Bemidji, MN 56601
218-308-2372